


A Doctor and a Museum Director

by elizabethemerald



Category: Tales of Arcadia (Cartoons), Trollhunters - Daniel Kraus & Guillermo del Toro
Genre: F/F, F/M, Multi, Troll Jim Lake Jr., after the eternal night, changeling familiars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-04
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-02-18 13:45:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18700813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elizabethemerald/pseuds/elizabethemerald
Summary: Nomura is back in Arcadia and finds herself spending a lot of time with certain Dr Lake. Slowly something starts to develop between the two women, if only there wasn't another changeling in the way.





	1. Reintroductions

Barbara sat in a tense silence in her home. She had one of the changeling familiars in her arms. She vaguely remembered how little sleep she had gotten when Jim was a baby. And that was one child. She had dozens. The babies all needed care, and she had to try and vet the people who were coming to adopt them. She sighed deeply as she finished feeding the one in her arms.

She set the snoozing infant into it’s crib and grabbed the next one. She reached for the next bottle and came up empty. “Walter! Do you have the rest of the bottles ready?” she called as softly as she was able. He came in soon after with a tray of bottles. In his troll form, that was now his permanent form, he had to duck under the door frame or risk knocking his horns against it.

He set the tray of bottles on the counter besides her and took one as he scooped up another infant. They sat in silence each feeding one of the familiars. The tray had a built in warmer that kept the bottles at the proper temperature.

The tension between the two of them was as thick as a troll’s hide. He was resolutely avoiding eye contact with her while he took care of the baby in his arms. However in troll form his face was very expressive, she could tell he was angry even though he wouldn’t look at her. She mentally sighed.

“Are we just not going to talk any more Walt?” She asked him. He flinched a little when she spoke.

“I don’t know what else to say Barbara.” His voice was closed off, even if his face wasn’t.

“I just want the truth Walter.”

“Why does it matter?”

“WHY-” The word came out as a shout, but she stopped herself. “Why would I want the truth of how many times you tried to kill me or have me killed? Or how many times you tried to do so to my son?”

“That’s in the past Barbara. I’m a different person now.”

“Do you have any idea how incredibly awkward that conversation was with my son? ‘I can’t get a straight answer out of Walter, how many times did he try to kill you?’” She mimicked the conversation she had with Jim just a few hours ago. “Do you think I wanted him to know that I didn’t think the number was as high as it was?”

She glared daggers at him while he continued to avoid looking at her. “And when I do get an answer from you, it’s a lie often as not. You have to be honest with me.”

The baby in her arms had finished feeding. Once she burped it, she set it down in the crib. Before she could take care of another of the babies there was a knock at the door. Walter still refused to say anything to her. She sighed again and walked out of the room towards the door. She was a little worried that who ever was at the door was a potential parent. She preferred to meet the possible adoptive parents when her hair wasn’t all over the place and when she wasn’t fighting with her boyfriend.

Still she fixed a smile and opened her front door. She gasped as before her was not a potential parent, but a tall pink troll, with green eyes and long black hair all the way down her back. Over her shoulders were the handles of two weapons. Barbara reacted on instinct flipping a knife from its hiding spot next to the door into a fighting position. The knife was treated with Creepers Sun, in the event someone targeted the mother of the Trollhunter.  

When the troll made no move Barbara was about to call to Walter, when she recognized the troll. “Ms. Nomura?”

“Good instincts.” The former changeling smiled. “And is that Creeper’s Sun I spy on that blade? I’m glad to see you are taking the proper precautions, to protect yourself and the familiars. May I come in? And please, call me Zelda.”

“Oh of course.” Barbara somewhat sheepishly returned the knife to its position. She was a little embarrassed that she almost swung at someone who had fought alongside her son during the Eternal Night. After the knife was securely hidden again, Barbara stepped back and gestured to welcome Zelda in, she had never known the changeling’s first name. “What brings you back to Arcadia, Zelda? Is everything ok with Jim?”

“Jim is fine, he and Trollmarket are continuing their journey to the New Jersey Heartstone.” As she walked in, the tall changeling seemed to be inspecting the house. She checked the door as she swung it shut, the curtains, even underneath one of the tables. “And it is at Little Gynt’s request that I am back in Arcadia. He wanted me to make sure you were unharmed.”

“I’m fine. I guess that neither of us can really stop worrying about the other, can we?” Barbara said with a light laugh. The laugh chilled as Walter entered the room, a baby feeding in his arms.

“Barbara dear, I heard voices-” He stopped at the sight of Nomura. On instinct the hand not holding the infant rose to his collar, and the collection of knives there. “Nomura. What are you doing here?”

“Oh Stricklander, I’m just ensuring the health and safety of the Trollhunter’s mother, at the express wish of that same Trollhunter.” She smiled widely at him, her smile for him was less friendly than the one for Barbara.

“I’m sure you two wish to catch up.” Barbara said, removing the baby from his hands. “Mr. Strickler I will be able to take this one from here.”

Walter stiffened at how formal she said that. “Thank you Dr. Lake.”

Nomura grinned at him, as she watched Barbara leave the room. After the other woman had lightly closed the door to the nursery, Nomura’s grin grew even wider.

“What’s wrong Stricklander? Trouble in paradise?”

“Shut up Nomura.”

“Really, what happened? You two were so close before, real love bird stuff.”

Strickler growled at her, his eyes flashing. “What’s it to you? Why do you care about our relationship?”

Nomura looked nonplussed by his growls, though she did drop her grin. “I care because, on my way back here after leaving the trolls, I received a call from the Trollhunter. He specifically asked me to check in on his mother. To make sure she was safe. To make sure you hadn’t harmed her.”

“Young Atlas did not think I would harm her.” His voice betrayed how much the thought hurt him.

“If only Little Gynt had some reason to mistrust you and fear for her.” Her smile returned in force. “Such as a sudden call from his mom asking him exactly how many times you tried to kill the two of them. And especially if that call ended with Barbara ballistically angry at catching you in another lie.”

A chill swept up Walter’s back, there was no doubt how such a call could be interpreted by his one time student. “That conversation was only this afternoon! There’s no way you could have made it from their location back to Arcadia in that time.”

She waved her cellphone in his face. “Phone’s exist you cretinous dullard. Believe it or not I didn’t leave the rest of Trollmarket and the chance to rejoin my kind just to check in on your love life.”

He merely looked his question at her. “I left because the wizard is a sexist, racist bigot and I could not take one more day of his snide comments. I don’t know what he hated about me more, that I was woman, that I was Japanese, or that I was a changeling. Each seemed to be an unforgivable offense to him. There’s no way of knowing how he would have reacted if I told him I loved women instead of men. I don’t know how the girl, Claire, continues to tolerate him.”

Nomura raised her fist to angerly smash some of Barbara’s decorations, but restrained herself. “I was on my way back here to pick up some of my belongings that I had stashed, before continuing on to my next location. I received a very worried call from ‘Young Atlas’ with concerns about what you two might be up to here.”

Strickler put his head in his hands and sighed deeply. Of course his favored pupil would react to the call and assume he had returned to his previous ways. He doubted there was any way to assuage Jim’s fears, but he would have to call the boy soon. He turned and looked at Nomura.

“We had an argument. Barbara is upset about me lying…” He stopped as Nomura started to snore loudly. As soon he stopped speaking she opened her eyes and glared at him.

“I’m not here to listen your relationship problems! I’m just here to make sure you are not going to try to hurt her again! If you want to talk about your problems, call a shrink.”

His body shook with his rage. He coldly said to her, “I have no intention of allowing any harm to come to Barbara Lake.”

“Well you know what they say about intentions, sometimes things just don’t work out the way we want.” She gave him a cruel smile, then returned to the door. “But I’ll call the Trollhunter and pass this on to him. If you’re lucky he won’t have Aaarrrgghh and wittle Toby-Pie over here checking in on you every day.”

Strickler tried to get in the last word, but Nomura was already outside, closing the door softly so as not to disturb the infants. He glared at the door for a few moments, before sighing and returning to the Nursery to help care for the familiars.


	2. Remedy for Sunburn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Barbara opens her door to a severely sunburned Nomura, a career doctor, she doesn't hesitate to care for her patient. The two talk during the ministrations.

Barbara breathed out happily. Some of the volunteers Ophelia Nuñez had organized were here helping with the changeling familiars.  The best thing about trolls being public knowledge now is that her and Walter didn't need to try and take care of the babies completely by themselves. 

From her position on the city council Ophelia was able to organize scores of volunteers to help with feeding and changing as well as donations of formula and diapers. Barbara was so relieved. Especially since she and Walter still hadn't said a single word to each other since Nomura left. 

Barbara had gone to bed first then shot him an icy glare when he tried to get into her bed too. He seemed to understand well enough, as he left the room, grabbed some spare blankets and slept on the couch downstairs. 

She hated this. She felt like she had to double check everything he said for lies. And she kept finding new ones. He would lie off hand to her about some task she had asked him to do, he would still do it, but he lied about when it was done, how long it took. What was even the point?

Currently he was in the nursery over seeing the volunteers. Barbara found herself lying on the couch. Today was supposed to be her day off, to relax, and here she was focusing Walter's lies. She was so focused on her problems that she didn't respond at first when there was a rapid knock on her door. 

At the second knock she jumped up from the couch. Whoever was knocking, this wasn't a pleasant call, they were hammering on the door. Barbara quickly jerked the door open and Nomura collapsed into her entryway. 

"Walter!" Barbara screamed as she grabbed the changeling and dragged her further into the house. Her pink skin was covered in severe burns. Sun burns! Barbara knew from her time with Walt that changelings wouldn't be turned to stone by the sun, but it did burn their skin, badly if they were not able to get under cover quickly. 

Strickler burst from the nursery, knives in hand, which he returned to his collar when saw Nomura. 

"Help me get her up to Jim's room!" Barbara said as she tried to lift Nomura. Walter was on his fellow changeling's other side in a moment helping to carry her up the stairs. 

"What happened?" He growled out. 

"I was downtown," Zelda gasped out. Her pain was making it hard to speak. "Under one of the new covers for trolls. Some kids pushed me out into the sun. I had to run through the sun to get here."

"What? The great Nomura overpowered by some children?" He said snidely. Nomura tried to growl at him but could only gasp in pain. 

"Walter!" Barbara's voice was hedged with anger. "If you can't show some compassion then make yourself useful. Go across the street and get Toby."

Strickler looked shocked. But he settled Nomura on Barbara's shoulder, and walked back down the stairs. He quickly put on a large heavy jacket and grabbed an umbrella, and left the house. Barbara sagged under the changeling's weight. 

"Zelda, I'm going to need you to try and walk. I can't carry you by myself." She merely grunted in response, but Barbara felt like she was getting crushed a little less and together they were able to make it up the stairs. 

Once at Jim's room, Barbara leaned Nomura against the wall then dragged the bedding off the bed. She grabbed a clean sheet and tossed it over the bed. Then she helped Nomura lay down. She left the room and returned quickly. In her hands she had some gloves, a large jar and some bandages. 

"I'll heal in time." Nomura was barely able to see past a massive burn that covered most of her face. 

"Your healing will take time, and your burns are severe and are affecting your ability to breathe, among other things. This salve will sting but it will aid in the healing."

She dipped one of the bandages into the jar then laid it across one of the worst burns on Nomura's chest. The changeling tried to hiss or growl but it came out as a wheeze. 

Downstairs Barbara could hear her front door slam open. Then the sound of hurried footsteps up the stairs. She hoped he hadn't woken up too many of the familiars and she wished that boy would close her door behind him. Toby burst into the room, to no one's surprise.

"I'm here! What do you need?" Barbara watched as Nomura flinched from Toby's shout. The boy had a terrible bedside manner. Barbara kept her attention on her patient, applying more salve soaked bandages. 

"Where did Walter go?" She asked. 

"He went downtown to make sure no other trolls were being hurt or harassed."

"Did he have his umbrella? "

"Yes ma'am." Good at least he had the sense for that. Barbara could see Nomura was uncomfortable having Toby see her like this. 

"Toby, I need you to go downtown as well.  Notify Detective Scott about what happened. Ms Nomura is too badly hurt right now to give testimony, but once she's better I'll call the detective."

Toby saluted smartly. He extended his warhammer to it's full size and opened the window in the room. There was a second's pause then he roared away, carried off by his hammer. 

Barbara smiled to herself. Ever since the boy realized he could use the hammer to fly that was the only mode of transport he used. She was worried that one day they would find him tangled in the powerlines. Maybe Walter could teach him something about flying. If he didn't lie to the boy. She frowned. Everything came back to Walt's lies. 

"Problem, Doctor?" Nomura wheezed. Barbara jumped a little and saw that Nomura had one glowing green eye fixed on her. Her other eye was held shut by the burns and the salve and bandages on top of it. Barbara glanced away and focused on her work. 

"No problem. I'm just letting my train of thought get the best of me. It's just…" She hesitated. She didn't need to air her laundry in front of this woman, who was already dealing enough and was little more than a stranger. She let the sentence die. 

Barbara could tell Nomura was already much better. Her breathing was coming easier. Her natural toughness had saved her from worse damage and her faster healing and the salve were doing their work. Barbara looked again at the eye that was locked on her. 

"I don't want to press the matter if it will make you upset," Barbara started. The green eye narrowed. "Jim tells me you are an amazing fighter, one of the best he's faced. Was there a reason you weren't able to fight the kids off?"

Zelda looked away, then closed her eye. "They caught me off guard. That's all." 

Maybe she was a better liar when she wasn't covered in burns, but Barbara could see right through that one. She tried a different direction. 

"I don't want to send Toby and Walter into a trap. If they had numbers you couldn't defeat, or weapons we have to warn them and the other trolls."

"I didn't want to fight them ok?" She snapped, then grimaced. The fact that she was able to snap at all showed Barbara just how fast her healing was. For her part she just focused on applying the salve. If it hurt her patient to speak, Barbara wasn't going to ask any more questions. She felt sure that whatever reason Nomura had, it wasn't related to a threat to anyone else. But Zelda seemed to want to get something off her chest. 

"They surprised me. Knocking me out from one of the shaded shelters into the sun. That would have been a death sentence to any other troll. I could have fought them to get back under cover. I could have out maneuvered them. But could I do that without hurting them?"

"The only thought in my mind was they wanted to kill me. They didn't know I could survive in sun, again someone was trying to kill me because I was different than them." Her voice was hard with bitterness. "In my mind the only response was to reply in kind. To kill them all."

She clenched her fist so tightly one of the blisters on the back of her hand tore. Barbara quickly applied more salve to that area. 

"Do you know what's it like to be hated, for who you are?" Barbara didn't answer. It seems that Nomura was talking mostly to herself. Personally the doctor was afraid her patient was becoming delirious, either from the pain or a reaction to the salve, or both. 

"I was here, in California during World War Two. I saw the other Japanese Americans get rounded up and put in camps. I spent some time in one myself, though I didn't stay long. I saw how much you Americans hated the people who looked like me."

"As a changeling, all of troll kind felt the same. I was a monster, a sign of the enemy they imprisoned, and they hated me, because of what I was."

Her eye snapped open a focused on Barbara. "Your son never hated me though." Barbara couldn't help but feel a swell of pride as Zelda continued speaking, "How many times have we fought? And every time I was trying to kill him. And yet he respects my expertise, trusts me with missions, and listens to my council. He corrected his friend Toby. He even argued with that cantankerous bastard Merlin, when the wizard was cruel to me."

"And his friends followed suit. Claire of course didn't to be told but if a troll dared to even whisper the word 'Impure' within earshot of the Trollhunter he would confront them. Even Blinkous, steeped in troll tradition, got better."

“These children hated me for being a troll. Just like white people hated me for being Japanese, just like men hated me for being a woman, just like the trolls hated me for being a changeling. I’m just so tired of all the hate. Your son he inspires me. The way he doesn’t listen to the hate, the way he works to give his enemies second chances, just like he gave me a second chance.”

She sighed as deeply as she was able to with the burns across her chest. “So rather than fight them I ran. I may have poorly estimated how far I would have to run in the sun to get back here.” 

“Well I’m glad you were able to make it here.” Barbara smiled at her. “And I’m glad you decided not to hurt those kids. I’m not sure I would have been able to stop myself.”

Most of the burns were covered in the salve. So Barbara started to pack her supplies away. The remaining bandages and the jar of salve were returned to the medicine cabinet, and she carefully removed her gloves. She paused at the door a thoughtful expression on her face. 

“How many times was it?” She turned to look at Nomura, and seeing her quizzical expression clarified. “How many times did you try and kill me or my son?”

Zelda counted them off on her fingers as she listed her fights with the Trollhunter. “There was the night he broke into the museum. The night I drugged you and Draal stopped me. The night Bular sent me to fetch him, and I put him in the hospital. And at the fight for the Killahead Bridge, I believe the Trollhunter and his friends call that the Battle of Two Bridges. And finally after months of Gunmar’s torture I fought him in the Darklands. That was the last time I tried to kill him when he and I fought, after that it was just sparring. And I never tried to kill you, just the one time I drugged your tea. So five times I tried to kill him.”

Hearing so many attempts on her son’s life listed off so casually hurt Barbara, but as close as she could tell the changeling was telling the truth. “Thank you.” She said, then turned to leave. 

“Barbara, if you are going to call your son and have him confirm that number I would suggest you phrase your statement a little more clearly, so he doesn’t panic.”

Barbara smiled at the changeling, who gave her a tired smile back, then the doctor left her patient to rest.


	3. Recovery and Ice-cream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ms. Nomura recovers slowly from her burns, while the arguments between Barbara and Walter continue

The chirps of crickets made the evening musical. Nomura quietly whistled 'In the Hall of Mountain King' while she went through a series of stretches in Barbara's back yard. Her burns were still painful, but between her healing and Barbara's care they would be soon completely gone. She didn't want to risk doing more damage by going through her usual training routine, so she was doing some slow stretches. 

Barbara and Strickler’s relationship remained...strained. They had said barely a dozen words to each other that didn't directly relate to the familiars. Zelda had been trapped upstairs so all she could do was listen. She listened to their footsteps as they paced the house avoiding each other. She could hear Stricklander sigh everytime Barbara got up and left the room when he entered. She swore she could even hear the doctor grinding her teeth. 

It was Stricklander's own fool fault. He was the one with his fool rules. 'Every person is a tool, lies are a way of life.' Nomura could almost hear his smug accent in her head as she thought it. He had built his entire life on lies, on maintaining them, each as a weapon held in reserve. Now he was finding they cut him just as well. 

Nomura didn't have three rules she used to guide her life. She had one. Adapt and survive. It's what she had done her entire life. 

She had spent two days in bed while her burns healed. Her only real company was Barbara coming to change her dressings and check the wounds. A human detective came in and spoke with her, to get the descriptions of the kids who attacked her. She didn't want some human seeing her like this, so she played up her injury so he didn't stay long. 

The boy, Toby had come once to chat. Nomura explained to him, as politely as she was able that she didn't want company. He seemed to understand. 

Her least favorite visitor was Stricklander. She never wanted to appear vulnerable in front of him, she feared he would fall back into his old habits too much. He didn't speak to her, he would only poke his head in to check on her. 

Finally Nomura breathed out. Her stretches and what little exercise she could get were done. She didn't want to push herself just yet, an injury now could put her back in bed for a week. 

She opened the back door to the Lake house as quietly as she could. As soon as the door opened a fraction she heard a sound that brought her ears up. Nomura closed the door silently and crouched down behind the kitchen island. Barbara was crying. 

Zelda strained her ears trying to locate any threat. Barbara was crying quietly, Nomura would place her on the couch by the sound. After a second she heard Stricklander's breathing. He was near her, his breathing was not strained like he had been injured nor rapid like he had been in combat. Nomura decided quickly that there was no threat to the life of the Trollhunter's mother and was about announce her presence when Barbara spoke. 

"We can't keep doing this Walt." She sobbed. "I can't keep dealing with your lies!"

"Barbara-"

"Don't you see how this looks to me? You lied to me. Jim lied to me. Everyone lied to me! Toby, Claire. And everytime someone lied someone almost died! I am so sick of the people I love lying to me! Just like I am so sick of the people I love getting hurt because of these lies!"

She stood up and faced him as he sat on the couch. "Will you even tell me how many times you personally fought my son? Not Angor Rot, not Nomura, not any of your lackeys. You. How many times did you personally try and kill my son?"

"Barbara, I'm a different person now! I would never dream of hurting you or Jim. You both mean so much to me! Why does it matter how many times we fought?"

Barbara turned away from him, tears fell heavily down her face. "Did you know after Vendel removed your little binding spell I almost lost my job? I couldn't remember anything that happened in the previous weeks, except for flashbacks to monsters attacking my child. The hospital thought I was having some kind of stress induced mental break."

Walter hung his head in shame, "Barbara, I'm so sorry."

"Did you ever ask Jim what happened to me after you left? Did he ever tell you how much it tore me apart to think another man had walked out of my life?"

Nomura could only barely see Stricklander shake his head from her position in the kitchen. 

"Of course not. You want bygones to be bygones. Jim was willing to let that happen, to forgive and forget. I've forgiven you, but I will never forget that me and my son almost died, repeatedly, because of you. I've been hurt before, by men better at hurting me than you." 

Zelda noticed that when she said that Barbara instinctively held her wrist. 

"If you want to be in my life, you need to earn my trust. And you can't do that by lying, even small lies. All I want in my life is honesty."

Strickler said something, so quietly that even Nomura couldn't make it out, she could hear Barbara's reply though.  

"Go on then. I'll be here." 

That warning was barely enough for Nomura to circle around the kitchen island as Stricklander walked through to the back door. She thought about following her fellow changeling but she heard the tell tale beat of his wings as he took off. She would not be able to keep up with him from the ground without hurting herself. After a moment's thought she crept to the door and opened then closed it loudly. 

Barbara gasped from her place in the living room. "Walter?"

"I heard Stricklander fly off. Are you alright?" Nomura said. 

In answer Barbara only sobbed quietly. On her way through the kitchen Zelda stopped at the freezer to grab a pint of ice cream, then a spoon. She walked into the living room and sat down heavily on the couch next to the doctor. 

"Ice cream?" Zelda offered. Barbara took the pint and spoon and scooped out a large bite. The woman was going to give herself a brain freeze she thought. 

"How much of that did you hear?" Barbara asked as she scooped out another spoonful. 

"Some. Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't want to paint your friend in a negative light." Nomura couldn't help but chuckle at that thought, also she wasn't sure 'friend' was the best description of her current relationship with Stricklander. Casual enemy? Antagonistic coworker?

"I have seen him in every negative light imaginable, you can't spoil my image if him."

"I just don't understand why he keeps lying to me." Nomura put an arm around her shoulder but didn't say anything. Comforting Barbara was one thing, but she wasn't going air Stricklander's secrets. Fortunately the doctor seemed to have talked herself out already and just wanted the comforting arm around her shoulders. 

After a few minutes Nomura used one of her Khopesh to hook a box of tissues from the shelf and brought it closer.

"Thank you Zelda. You're so kind."

After Barbara had wiped her eyes and nose the two women retired to their rooms. Nomura listened closely as she lay in Jim's bed, but she all could hear was the occasional sniffle till Barbara eventually fell asleep. 


	4. Remarks between Assassins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nomura is sick of watching Barbara and Walter fight. It is time for a talk between two changeling killers.

Zelda sat on the couch watching the other two fuss over some of the familiars. Two of them were being adopted today. Two families had managed to pass the background check and would be bringing home their new children. 

Barbara and Walter were rushing around making sure everything was in order. The babies were put into new adorable onesies, their bottles and favorite toys, at well as some diapers and formula were put into a bag. 

The last part of the adoption process was the most arduous, a personal interview with Barbara and Walter. This served several purposes, they were both pretty accurate judges of character and they wanted to see how the potential parents would react to Stricklander in his troll form. Neither of them wanted the babies who had been kidnapped and cared for by goblins to be adopted by a family that was bigoted against trolls, the familiars lives were touched by magic, trying to avoid that touch would harm them later. 

These two couples had passed the interview with flying colors. One couple was two women, and the other was two men. Nomura smiled to herself at that. The regular world always tried to hurt people like her, but Barbara was helping them form loving families. 

The preparations to get the two babies ready to go was slowed by Barbara and Walter still not speaking to each other. When the doctor went up stairs Nomura rose and approached the other changeling. 

“Stricklander.”

“What is it Nomura?” His annoyance clear on his voice. 

“We need to talk, Stricklander.” 

He glared at her for a moment, then turned away. “I don’t want to hear it whatever you have to say. Now I’ve got a lot to-”

“Waltolemew.” He stopped dead in his tracks. It must have been at least a full decade since he had last heard his full first name he had inherited from his familiar. He faced her again. 

“There was a time once where I might have called you a friend. There was a time where I would have said you were my only friend. Do you remember when we were stuck in the Darklands together?”

“I try to forget those days.” His voice sounded pained. 

“There was a time there when it was just you and I. We were the only ones either of us had. Then they sent you through the fetch. I waited and waited, watching the decades pass before I got my chance to face the world. Even Otto got out before I did.”

“Why are you talking about this, Zelda?” 

“You had centuries where you could only depend on yourself. You made up your changeling rules, to keep yourself alive. You had to lie every day just to survive. You hoarded lies just as you hoard your knives. Each was a blade or a shield you could use to defend yourself.”

Strickler looked at her curiously while she talked. He wasn’t going to try and deny what she was saying, he knew she had heard enough of his and Barbara’s arguments. 

“And now you’re finding those blades can be turned against you, especially when you lie to someone who loves you.” He started and glanced up the stairs, but Barbara hadn’t come down yet. “You can’t keep lying to her, Stricklander, you’ll push her away if you do.”

He growled softly, he wasn’t angry at her so much as the situation he found himself in. “I know that Nomura. I just don’t know how I’m supposed to do that.”

“You need to give yourself some distance, give yourself some time, to figure out how to be honest. I had my months in the Darklands. I had my wake up moment when I fought the Trollhunter there. I got my time on the road to New Jersey.” He looked at her quizzically, “Leave Waltolemew. Leave the Trollhunter’s mother and get your life together.”

His eyes flashed in anger. “I will not abandon her like James did. I can’t hurt her like that.”

For the second time in a week she waved her phone in front of his face. “Stricklander you utter moron! Don’t abandon her without another word. Call her. Come and visit. Send a damn postcard. But figure yourself out, you’re already hurting her enough.”

He looked down and away from her. “Thank you Zelda.” She stepped forward and put her forehead against his. He flaired his wings and wrapped them around the two of them. 

“What’s going on here?” Barbara’s sharp voice at the top of the stairs ended the moment. 

“We were just-” he started but he was interrupted by Nomura. 

“Tell her Stricklander.” Zelda turned away and sat back on the couch to watch them talk. He sighed deeply then started talking. 

“Ms. Nomura was telling me that perhaps I have been too invested in my lies for too long. They were a tool for my survival. And now they’re hurting you.”

Barbara looked shocked. Nomura doubted she expected these words to ever come out of Strickler’s mouth. She came down the stairs to stand in front of him. She put a hand on his cheek, but he looked away from her. 

“And she feels that I should probably take some time away. Away from you.”

Dr Lake gasped and stepped back, tears immediately sprang to her eyes. Nomura almost regretted giving Stricklander the advice. But if they were going to break up anyway, a clean break is better than rotting away. 

“I won’t do to you what Jim’s father did. I’ll write, I’ll call, I’ll come back when I can. Unless you don’t want me to. I think Zelda is right. I think I need to spend some time and get over my old habits.”

At that moment there was knock on the door. Through the frosted glass they could see the first couple here to pick up their new child. “We can talk about this later.” Walter said as he went to open the door. 

Barbara was able to pass off her tears as missing the familiar already. Nomura was a little bit impressed with her ability to pass it off that easily. 

It was several more hours before they had a chance to talk. The first couple took a while to be ready to leave, and then the second arrived before the first was even out the door. But soon enough the children were off to their new homes. 

Stricklander had been mostly silent the whole time, allowing Barbara to do most of the speaking. Nomura could tell he was busy thinking. She hoped he would take her advice. 

When they finally had the house to themselves again Barbara approached Strickler. His was face was set as he spoke. 

“I’ve spent all day thinking about this and I’m sure Nomura is right. I’ve spent my whole life lying, so I need to spend some time remembering what it’s like to be honest. I don’t want to hurt you Barbara. I know I haven’t given you much reason to trust me, but I meant it when I said that I didn’t want to hurt you or Jim ever again. And I promise I’ll come back when I am not the one hurting you anymore.”

Barbara cried the whole time he packed, but she didn’t stop him. She could barely speak. This was so similar and yet so different to when James Lake Sr. had abandoned her and Jim. She cried as she kissed Walter goodbye. Then as he flew off into the night, she went upstairs and cried herself to sleep in her bed.


End file.
